1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to microwave transmission line transitions, and more particularly to transitions from miniature coaxial lines to waveguides.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A transition from a rectangular waveguide to a coaxial line converts the dominant TE.sub.10 mode in the waveguide to the TEM mode in the coaxial line. Waveguide to coaxial transitions have been widely used since the early days of microwave technology.
The coupling mechanism may be either a probe parallel to the electric field or a loop normal to the magnetic field; the more successful version has been the electric probe.
For frequencies up to 40 GHz, special miniature coaxial connectors have been designed that eliminate the propagation of higher order modes. However, for frequencies above 40 GHz, the use of mating coaxial connectors is impractical, due to the difficulty of designing connectors that prevent the generation of higher order modes, and mating defects resulting from very slight dimensional changes due to wear caused by disassembly and assembly.
Thus, there is a need for a transition that is useful for frequencies beyond 40 GHz.